The present invention relates to the provision of television content and advertising to a receiver unit. Television programs are distributed to viewers by a variety of broadcasting methods. These methods include traditional analog broadcast television (National Television Systems Committee or “NTSC” standard), the upcoming digital broadcast television (Advanced Television Systems Committee or “ATSC” standard), cable television (both analog and digital), satellite broadcasting (both analog and digital), as well as other methods. These methods allow channels of television content to be multiplexed and transmitted over a common transmission medium.
Channel numbers are typically used to identify the stream of television content offered by a content provider. Program guide information is typically transmitted along with the television content. The program guide information includes a set of channel definition parameters that define which portions of the transmitted television content are associated with the various channels, and typically also includes schedule information for display on users' televisions. The schedule information informs users what television programs are currently on, and what television programs will be shown in the near future.
It would be desirable in a television broadcast system to be able to broadcast advertisements that are directed only to particular users, with each receiver determining whether the advertisement is appropriate for display based on characteristics such as geographic region of the receiver, subscription information and past viewing history. Specifically, using these characteristics, it would also be desirable that each receiver determines which broadcast advertisements are shown to a particular user, and when and how the broadcast advertisements are shown to that particular user.